[1] Smith spent her early childhood on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin.
"[2] In the mid-1960s, Smith became involved with the National Indian Youth Council, the first independent Native American student organization.
After graduating from Purdue University, she began working at the Chicago American Indian Center (AIC) as a caseworker.
[5] Member Helen Whitehead (Ho-Chunk-Ojibwe) described NAC: "Our main thrust is to start at the time they're very young and to build a positive self-image.
In August of that year, the AIC board of directors voted to dismiss Smith for "insubordination and questionable banking practices."